A Second Chance
by AmeliaFriend
Summary: Major Apocalypse Spoilers! AU of the whole movie. When the arrow flies across the clearing, it hits only one. But in the aftermath, Erik still needs to escape, along with the only thing left in his life that matters. And there's only once place on Earth that is truly safe for mutant kind, even in this time of 'peace'. One action can change a life - can change many lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow. It's been a ... long time since I last posted a story - about two years and three months since I last posted on this site at least.  
But I've been inspired again, and this was the result.  
It's still a work in progress, but I've got a comprehensive outline, and think it's probably going to end up being about seven to nine chapters long - I'm also going to try and stick to something of an updating schedule this time!  
There are bits in here taken straight from the movie, but you should be able to spot those bits if you've seen it already. I may have watched it four times already - haven't loved a movie as much as this in ages!**

 **Enough from me, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

The rest of the shift following the … accident … had been normal.  
Too normal.  
He bid his colleagues good night at the end of the work day, and headed home once again, knowing that he would never return to the place of work.

It was nearing dark when he made it back to his family, but he didn't loiter making his way into the house as he had become apt to do – instead making a beeline for his bedroom, passing Magda by without so much as a perfunctory kiss, causing her to follow him up the stairs.  
She stared in disbelief as he collected a suitcase from beneath the bed, and started filling it with only the most basics of necessities.

"Henryk? What is going on?" She asked, more confused than concerned, as she watched him pack. His stuff, her stuff, a few of Nina's things that lived in their room.  
He didn't pause, or even look at her as he spoke. "There was an … incident at work. A vat was going to fall on one of the men. I stopped it."  
"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked, as she watched him search for the hidden forged passports and various currencies of cash he had collected over the years.  
"No. It is not. If someone reported it… If someone were to come here, if you or Nina…" He stopped, and took a breath before continuing. "If something happened to either of you because of me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."  
"But you did a good thing. You saved that man." She tried to convince him, however futile she knew it to be – once Erik had an idea, it was near impossible to dissuade him.  
"That's not the point. If I'm exposed, we're all exposed. We have to leave."  
"But this is our home. Our daughter's home."  
" _We're_ her home." He turned to look at her for the first time. "I told you who I was the very first night I met you. I trusted you then, you need to trust me now. We can't stay here anymore."  
She closed her eyes and nodded, accepting it, even if she didn't agree with him. "I'll get Nina."

Magda returned quickly. "She's not in her room, and I don't see her out back." There was a tremor of fear in her voice, even as she tried to hide it.  
It's that this was an uncommon occurrence, there was barely a week that went by that Nina didn't escape the house to spend time with her 'friends', but this felt more ominous than usual.

They raced outside calling her name, hoping to find her by the well, or perhaps at the edge of the forest.  
She would be happy. She would be safe.  
And they would escape from this town, and live somewhere anew where they could continue being safe and happy together.  
But Nina didn't reply, not even as they ventured into the trees.  
Not even when they turned the corner, and saw her in the grip of the authorities he had evaded for so long.

They have Nina, a voice in his head stated, eerily calm.  
They have _my daughter_ , Magneto's voice in his head, his anger threatening to bubble to the surface.

But Magneto wasn't in charge, Erik was.  
And these police officers weren't the unfeeling, uncaring _humans_ who had opposed him in the past.  
These were men he knew; men he would almost consider his friends.  
And they had Nina.

Cautioning Magda to stay back, he made his way slowly forward.  
"Nina. Are you alright?" He called in Polish.  
"She's fine." The officer replied for her.  
"Then let her go." Magda demanded from where she stood, no thoughts on her mind but her daughter.  
"We will." He sounded resigned, as if he were truly sorry for what he was doing, but also as if he felt there were no other option. "We just wanted to have a talk."  
"You're not wearing your badges." The sense of dread that had been growing since he saved that man only a few hours before exploded, and threatened to overwhelm him from inside.  
"No metal." And all of Erik's worst fears were realised.

It didn't matter how long he'd been here, how friendly or close he had become with those who lived here. The moment they believed him to be a _mutant_ , none of that mattered.  
A small voice in his head pointed him out that they believed him to be a very dangerous mutant that had tried to kill the US President, and had succeeded in killing a lot of other people, and it wasn't _mutants_ they were scared of as much as it was him.  
He told that voice to shut up.

He tried to convince them that he was no threat, but he knew that they did not believe him.  
When the officer held up the newspaper clipping, he knew there was no turning back.  
"Is this you?" The man demanded. "Are you the one they call Magneto?"  
It had been a long time since Erik had heard that name – and he turned to look at his wife.  
But no words were needed, his silence was all the response required of the question.

"Take me in." His voice was close to begging; he hadn't felt this helpless in years. "Please, just let my daughter go."  
There was a pause and for a terrible moment, Erik thought they were going to refuse, going to use Nina to 'stop him from making trouble'. But then the man nodded and Nina was allowed to walk forward.  
Neither Magda nor Nina were the threat, and everyone present knew it.  
"Go with your mother." He told her softly, hand brushing against her hair as they passed, not allowing himself to pause or he would do something that could only end in tragedy.

Magda tried to lead their daughter away, as the officers tied the rope around his wrists.  
Not that the rope would stop him if he truly wanted to hurt someone.  
Even if the officers had no metal on them – which was untrue, they may not be wearing their badges, but he could still feel the metal – he was still a dangerous man.  
But he wouldn't attack. Not in front of his wife.  
Definitely not in front of his daughter.

But Nina wouldn't leave – wouldn't allow herself to be led away from her father.  
"Please." She yelled in desperate Polish. "Don't leave! I'm not going to let them take you!" Her voice carried easily, raw and painful, and she wanted her father.  
Only the day before, he had promised never to leave her – and now he had to break that promise.

The birds started to gather overhead, and Erik understood what was happening before the officers. For a few terrifying seconds, only he knew what was going on, as Nina made obvious use of her powers for the first time in her short life.  
Yes, animals had been attracted to his small daughter her whole life, but he always tried to convince himself that it was just … a thing. That it didn't necessarily equate to his daughter being a mutant.  
Because his powers may be a gift, but they were also a curse, and it was not a curse he ever wanted his daughter to suffer – especially so young.

Then the birds began to dive, began to aim at the men Nina (rightfully) believed were taking her Papa away, and even the slowest-witted of the men within the group could understand what was happening.  
"She's one of them?" One of the men called, unable to completely hide the fear in his voice.  
"Tell her to stop," they ordered Erik, even as they ducked further attacks from the kamikaze birds.  
"She can't control it. She's scared of you." Erik's demeanour was calm, but inside he was desparate for Magda to remove Nina from the situation, to calm her down, to prevent any rash action on the part of the officers who didn't understand who involuntary this all was.

"Nina, please," Magda begged, crouching to her daughter's level on the other side of the clearing, and doing her best to calm her daughter down. Doing her best to keep everyone safe.

And then it happened so quickly.  
Yet, at the same time, he watched it happen as though it was occurring in slow motion.

The bird dove, aiming for the ( _stupid_ , why are humans' always so _stupid_ ) police officer's eyes.  
He loosed his (wooden tipped – no metal around Magneto) arrow involuntarily, and then no one could stop it.

Well.

Magda stopped it.

A deathly silence fell, even the birds seemed to quiet for a moment.  
The rope fell from his hands as he ran across the clearing – no one able to stop him.  
No one willing to stop him.

He caught her, he caught both of them, before they hit the floor of the forest. But there was so much blood.  
Magda's blood covering her, and covering him, and covering … Nina.

Nina who had collapsed with her mother, but was somehow, _somehow_ miraculously unharmed  
Nina who was beginning to scream again – louder and wordlessly this time – as she understood what was happening.  
But Nina who was whole and terrified and alive.  
Nina who was _alive_.

Magda tried to smile, tried to raise her hand to her daughter for the last time.  
But the effort was too large, as her eyes searched her husband's – hopes and dreams and wishes and plans disappearing within her, she took a final shuddering breath, and her limbs fell limply towards the ground.

There's more screaming – not from him, or from Nina – but from the officers, as they attempt to fend off the birds that were being controlled by his unknowing daughter, that were attacking more ferociously now, that were chasing down the men even as they attempted to run away from the scene – desperate to save their own lives.  
Erik could remember doing something similar when he had watched his mother die, and he realised – more now than ever – that he and his daughter were more alike than he had ever known, in all the wrong ways.

He hears the men escape – the lucky ones at least, some are already unmoving on the ground – but he cannot bring himself to care.  
These men – these _humans_ – that he would have almost considered his friends only a few short hours ago, how quickly they would turn against you, he had forgotten. He would not forget again.  
For Nina's sake, he would not forget again.

He doesn't know how long he sits on the floor, his girls cradled in his arms, Nina's screams tapering into juddering sobs, and the birds returning to whatever it is that birds do when they're not being controlled by a terrified six year old.  
Minutes pass as lifetimes before he feels himself return within his head – he knows that it will not be too much longer before someone returns for him (for _them_ ).  
And they need to be gone long before then.  
Nina had to be safe by then.

He stands slowly and warily, so as not to re-startle his daughter – and not entirely trusting his legs to keep him upright, as he cradled Magda in his arms bridle style, with Nina holding the back of his shirt in a death grip – as if he too would fall dead if she let go for even a moment.  
It takes almost twice as long to make it back to the house, compared to how long it took to find Nina originally.  
But they still arrive home soon enough, Nina following her father up the stairs and allowing herself to be led to sit down in a chair, and release her father.

Laying Magda down on the bed, he pulls the covers over her.  
With the arrow removed, and the blood stain obscured, she almost looks as if she could be asleep, were it not for the lack of breathing and the abnormal paleness her skin had already acquired.  
He allows himself a moment to stand there motionless, before forcing himself into action.

There is not much more that needs to be done before they are able to leave, his movements quick despite the sedentary years that he had truly enjoyed here in Pruszków.  
Magda's clothing can be removed from the suitcase, the few family photos they have can be added, three changes of clothes for Nina, and the doll she had owned since she was an infant.  
Nina had followed her father into her room when he collected those final items, neither of them willing to let the other leave their eyesight for even a moment.

And then it's time to leave.  
He presses a kiss to Magda's already cooling forehead, before removing her wedding rings – a memento to remember her by, for Nina to remember her by in years to come.  
Nina's goodbye is next, tearful and gripping her mother close, but she eventually allows her father to lead her out of the house, and away from her mother for the last time in her life.

As they drive away from the farmhouse that had been the only home Nina had ever known, sadness didn't quite cover the emotion Erik felt bubbling within him, the feeling of his heart being ripped out and torn into pieces before getting thrown on the ground in front of him.

But they had to get away, had to get somewhere safe.  
Because more people would be looking for him now – or soon at least – and not just local police officers, but agents of larger agencies that held a grudge against him (probably something to do with his not unimpressive death toll).

Nina sat in the seat next to him, drowning in a blanket and falling asleep following the exhaustion of the events of the previous hour – and he knew what his purpose had to be.  
He had to keep her safe.  
He would not allow her to befall the same fate as his wife.  
He would burn the world to the ground before he let that happen.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and please review,**

 **The next chapter will hopefully be up by Monday.**

 **Mia**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my goodness, words can't express how happy your response to this story have made me! To everyone who has read, especially those who have favourited and followed - thank you so much! And to those wonderful people who have left me a review, I love you all so much!**

 **I'd forgotten how wonderful it feels to be validated by strangers on the internet, and your response definitely gave me a boost when writing this!**

 **This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one (and a bit more boring I think), but the story should pick up in the next chapter - which should be posted on Thursday or Friday.**

 **I know I haven't written in quite a while, so constructive criticism is more than welcome from all of you.**

 **Thank you so much, and on with the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

It takes just under half an hour – and two … not _entirely_ legal changes of car – to arrive at Warsaw airport, but instead of making their way straight into the terminal, he sits for just a moment – allowing Nina a few final minutes in the escape of sleep before he has to wake her up again.  
But they only have so long before everybody in the world is looking for him, and he has got to get at least out of Poland before that happens.

Buying plane tickets for the both of them is easier than he remembered, although many years had passed since he had needed to fly on a commercial plane – and the passports for Henryk and Nina Gurzsky (the passports he would consider most 'real') were accepted without question.  
Their tickets were to Paris – it being the first flight out of the airport that was destined for a vaguely useful airport – and they almost don't have enough time to make it to the plane before departure, managing to be the last two people to board the flight.  
Still tired, even the thrill of her first time on an aeroplane could not keep Nina awake for longer than twenty minutes after take-off, and she had soon drifted off once again.  
Erik on the other hand remained awake and perfectly motionless for the entire two hours of the flight, the feel of the metal humming beneath his skin. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to truly feel the extent of his powers, and even if he wasn't manipulating the metal, it was exhilarating none the less.

When the plane lands, their limited luggage and Erik's many years of experience with the … less savoury side of the law allows them to disappear into the crowd of Charles de Gaulle airport within minutes, even at the current late hour.  
He procures a second pair of passports from within the suitcase – this time claiming them to be Max and Annette of West German origin – and two tickets for a flight to London that departs within two hours are soon bought as well.

This second flight is even less eventful than the first, with the vast majority of the passengers at least dozing on the hour and a half long flight – with the marked exception of one incredibly inebriated English passenger, which was an interesting sight for Erik to watch as time slowly passed, due to his reluctance to close his eyes for even a moment.

Leaving the plane at close to half midnight local time, Erik allowed himself to loiter more so than he had following the first flight, with Nina fast asleep in his arms.  
It was because – he rationalised to himself – whilst he had been operating on instinct until this point, he wasn't sure what his next course of action should be.  
Actually, that was very much not true – he knew what he had to do, he had always known what he had to do. He just didn't particularly want to admit it.

However much he may wish to deny it, Erik knows there is only one place that is truly safe for mutants. And that means he must face demons he ran away from – unashamedly and as fast as he could – almost exactly ten years ago.  
It was back to Westchester - back to Charles - he had to take himself.

The tickets for the final flight are bought shortly after – at a price he considers inordinately expensive for a flight that leaves a five in the morning, although to be fair, he is buying them at one in the morning on the same day, so that possibly factors into the cost.  
According to their passports, they are Americans this time and (as far as the overly cheerful woman who sold them their tickets is concerned) needing to get home in a hurry following the sudden death of a family member.  
It isn't too far from the truth, if you fudged the meaning of the word 'home', and the location of the dead family member.  
 _Eight hours_ , a voice in his head supplied, _eight hours since she died_.  
He ignored the voice, knowing that if he acknowledged his grief just yet, he would be of no use to any one, least of all his daughter.

Hours pass in silence, business men and holiday makers passing by, arriving and departing, and living their own lives, with their own hopes and dreams and wishes, without the merest thought that a wanted terrorist was sat only feet away from them.

It's almost three in the morning when _they_ arrive. He doesn't recognise any of them – not that it was surprising, given his incredibly limited contact within the mutant world for the last decade – but they were obviously mutants, the kid with wings and blue skinned … man (Erik thinks it's a man – or at least, he's reasonably sure it's not a woman) gave that away easily enough.  
But that doesn't explain what they were doing in Heathrow airport, having obviously singled him out, nor how they had found him in the first place.

The spiel reeled off by the blue skinned leader is one that he obviously believes – and one that Erik himself had subscribed to only a few years' prior – subjugation of humans, mutants ruling the world, taking their rightful place and so on and so forth.  
It would have been so easy to go with them; to continue what he had attempted a decade before – especially if he had no daughter to tie him to any particular plan. But he did have a daughter, did have a Nina – and the front lines of a war was no place for a child, and definitely not a place for his child.

So when offered the chance to follow them into the glowing purple light, and a new future for the strongest of mutant kind, Erik forces Magneto down and turns his back.  
They don't force him to come, but he can feel their … pity on his back until the quartet has disappeared.

It is at that point the boarding call for their flight to New York is announced and Nina stirs into wakefulness again, forcing Erik to put the weird encounter out of his mind.

It's a long flight – over eight hours – and it's been a very long time since he had to fly for such a long period of time in such confined positions such as the economy portion of a commercial flight.  
His penchant for rich friends, he mused silently, had some unintended consequences.  
It was amusing to him in an 'I haven't slept in over a day' sort of way.

Once again, he didn't allow himself to sleep, didn't allow himself to take his eyes off his daughter for longer than milliseconds at the time, contenting himself with watching the jet black of the pre-dawn sky slowly bleeding into the brightness of day, as the sun rose.

It's as they are about to exit the airport that Erik notices the news report entirely by accident – the purple of his suit from the day of his misguided attempt to secure a mutant future, catching his eye as he passes the television screen.  
The callousness with which the reporter discusses not only his previous … less sensible plans, but the death of his wife and the officers who had killed – going as far as to be stood outside his _home_. He knew reporters would make their way there eventually, once they heard of Magneto's whereabouts, but he hadn't thought it to be so soon.  
At least, he reasoned – walking away before he did something he would regret and would endanger not only himself but Nina as well – in addition to there being no mention of a daughter in the reporter's narrative, they would have found Magda quickly, that she would be able to have a proper burial, despite himself and their daughter not being able to be there.

The winter sun was bright as they finally exited the airport – only eight o'clock in the morning, despite their internal body clocks insisting it was closer to two in the afternoon.  
"No English," he told Nina quietly in Polish, as they headed towards the taxi stand, the more legal method of making their way to Charles' home when compared to … borrowing someone else's car.

It's easier than he would have thought to hail a cab – whilst everybody appears to be on edge for the appearance of _Magneto_ , no one suspects _Erik_. Privately, he thinks it probably has something to do with the beard, the lack of purple attire, and the daughter – and they are off on their journey in only a matter of minutes.  
Erik doesn't dwell on the ease that he remembers the address of the mansion, despite the many years that had passed since he had visited.

An exaggerated Polish accent, ensured that the driver didn't try to talk to either of them too much during the just over an hour long trip – and allowed Nina to fall asleep yet again. It was beginning to worry Erik how much she was sleeping, but there were many different ways to begin the process of grieving, and at least it was a bloodless method. Besides – at least one of them was sleeping, Erik mused as he realised he was approaching 36 hours without sleep.

The father and daughter duo are dropped them off at the gates to Charles' refurbished school – the gates that are supposed to only open with a code, but which Erik obviously made quick work of.  
It's only a short walk of a few hundred metres to the front door, but Nina has no real desire to walk, and he has no real desire to allow her out of his grasp – so it's no real strain on him to carry her in one arm, while he carries their suitcase in his other.

He can hear the playful yells of children somewhere nearby, but he cannot see them – and not for the first time, he wonders what the completed 'mutant school' looks like – whether it was as impressive as his and Charles' late night discussions over twenty years ago had intended it to be.  
Pausing for only a moment, he made the metal door knocker rap itself, and braced himself for whomever would open the door.

It's Hank that ends up opening the door – noticeably not blue again – and the younger man's smile drops away when he sees just who has appeared at the doorstep.  
Erik's face remained perfectly bland – at least on the outside.  
"I don't suppose the Professor is in."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, and please leave me a review!**

 **Mia.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, the first thing I have to say is an apology for the lateness of this chapter. I fully intended to have it up by ... two days ago. But then I kind of binge-watched the entirety of iZombie. And then the first two seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I have no excuse beyond that.**

 **Secondly - you guys really seem to like this story! It has 34 more favourites than my next highest story, and 44 more followers! I love you all so much, and honestly never expected this kind of response!**

 **Also, I got ten reviews on the first chapter and then TWENTY FOUR on the second. I've never had twenty four reviews on a chapter in my life! Please keep reviewing - I literally check my emails like twenty times a day, and squee so hard for every single review!**

 **I really hope to have the next chapter up by Wednesday - if I don't, feel free to yell at me until I post it.**

 **Thirdly - some people mentioned Peter. He's not in this chapter, but he will be in the next one, and there will be some Peter-Nina interaction at some point.**

 **Oh - and there may or may not be a Doctor Who quote thrown in here.**

 **On with the story!**

 ****EDIT - 9th June - Thank you so much to Rowanada on here, and Himera on AO3 for their help with Non-Google Translate Polish that actually sounds like something real people would say!****

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

It turned out the Professor wasn't in, though Hank certainly wasn't in any hurry to go into more detail than that.  
They were ushered quickly into Charles study – some of the children would remember Erik's attack from ten years ago, and most of them had seen the news reports that had been airing over the last few hours – and one of them recognising Erik was not something the adults wished to happen.

Hank's eyes kept flicking to Nina, hiding her face in her father's neck, unused to the kind of extravagance that permeated the Xavier Mansion, and the number of strangers she was meeting in such a short space of time.  
"Where did you get the kid?" Hank asked, as soon as they were seated in the study – although it seemed less a study and more a library to Erik, not that it would surprise him if there was a literal library (or two) elsewhere in the building. Charles did love his books.  
"The usual place you obtain children." Erik replied dryly, "You've redecorated." He stated, already noticing the differences from the last time he had entered the room.  
"A few times. It's been a while since you saw it though."  
"I don't like it." Was Erik's short answer.  
It was strange, the two of them in the same room – both at least attempting to be civil. The last time they had met, they had tried to kill each other, and neither were the type to forget grudges easily.

"Is she yours? What's her name?" Hank asked, trying to turn the conversation to a safer topic.  
"Yes." He answered to the first question, completely ignoring the second. It was short – but it was entirely truthful, and Hank could hear the underlying protectiveness even in the single syllable.  
"Where's her mother? If I may ask." Hank was nothing if not willing to pretend that they could still have a conversation the way they could over twenty years before.  
There was silence for a moment before Erik replied. "You may not."  
Another uncomfortable silence filled the room, before Erik broke it this time.  
"When will the Professor be returning?"  
"I don't know." Hank answered truthfully this time, "A few hours at least."  
"Will you be babysitting me until that time?" The question was accompanied with a raised eyebrow.  
"No. I do actually have classes to teach, and we're short-staffed enough as it is. You are not, however, allowed to leave this study. There is a bathroom through there," Hank pointed to the only other door in the room, "and I assume you will be able to amuse yourself for a few hours." He barely held back a barb about Erik's prison sentence following the assassination of the president, but realised that it would not be helpful, and that he was not one of his students, and (technically) above such pettiness. "Will you be requiring to be fed?" Hank asked, not for Erik's sake, but for the girl's – whose name he still did not know.  
"Not for an hour or two."

Erik's eyes followed Hank until he had left the room, the door clicking behind him – before turning to his daughter, curled in a ball in a chair – seemingly asleep. To anyone except her father that is.  
"Nina," Erik spoke softly, "I know you are not asleep."  
"Yes I am," she insisted, her eyes still closed. "My eyes are closed."  
"You are talking to me."  
"I'm _sleep_ -talking, Papa." The girl insisted, her eyes flying open as she tried to make her point.

Erik was unable to hide a smile – Nina a spitting image of Magda in a petty argument.  
The smile faded as Erik thought of Magda, abandoned in Poland.  
 _It was for Nina_ , he reminded himself, _everything is for Nina_.  
Focusing back on Nina, he realised he had missed at least a few sentences, because she was looking at him expectantly, and he did not know why.  
"Tell me a story," she repeated, as exasperated as a jet-lagged six-year-old could sound.  
"I believe you are missing a word there, young lady," Erik retorted – still trying to instil manners in his headstrong young daughter.  
"I said please the first time papa. _Please_." She begged, a puppy-dog expression on her face.  
"Very well. Do you know about …"  
Erik lost himself in the story, a true one as all the best stories are – as the seconds ticked into minutes, and before the two knew it a two and a half hours had passed, and Hank was returning to the room with a selection of sandwiches for the pair's lunch.

* * *

It's barely minutes later, as he's passing back through the foyer on his way to his own lunch that he sees someone almost more surprising than Erik.  
"Raven." Hank greets cheerfully, the girl having let herself in, as she was apt to do.  
The blue teenager that she turned up with was a shock, but Raven very rarely did what was expected of her – for better or for worse.

It's when they are down in the hanger – an unusual place for a private conversation, but the usual place was being occupied by a wanted (possibly-still-genocidal) criminal, who had previously tried to murder Raven, and his daughter – and Raven mentioned that the only reason she returned was to talk about Erik, that Hank realised that keeping Raven and Erik apart was good for him, it wasn't good for the pair of them – who obviously needed to talk.

"Back already?" Erik called, as the door opened.  
The second half of his statement died on his lips as he saw the blonde-haired Mystique walk into the room behind Hank. She also stilled when she noticed the current occupant of the room.  
Nina sat up straighter on her chair and Mystique corrected herself – occupant _s_ of the room.  
The hair and eye colour may not be Erik's, but the nose was, and the chin and the shape of her eyes – and Mystique knew that this was Erik's daughter.

Why they were here, she didn't know.  
How they were here – before her – she didn't know.  
And how Erik managed to procreate without her even hearing whispers of it, she definitely did not know.

But there was a good few hours more before Charles was to return, and she would find out.

* * *

It's almost five o'clock before they hear the car pull up out front – announcing the arrival of Charles, Alex and presumably Moira as well.  
It takes a few moments longer for the trio to actually appear in the foyer, getting in and out of the car a marginally longer process than it was when Charles could use his own legs.

"Professor!" Hank called out just as Charles was about to enter his office – unaware of the fact that there was _technically_ a wanted criminal on the other side of the door.  
"Hank." Charles returned cheerfully, "This is Agent Moira MacTaggert from the CIA. Agent MacTaggert, this is Hank McCoy, another one of the teachers here at the school."  
Even knowing in advance that Moira would not remember any of them or the events from two decades prior, it was still disconcerting to Hank to shake her hand as if they had never met before.  
"Professor, I need to speak with you. In private. It's about a couple of old friends."  
Charles eyes flickered in confusion, and then understanding as he felt the presence of new minds in his school – including ones he hadn't felt in a _very_ long time.  
Resuming his previous composure quickly enough for those who were not well acquainted with him to not notice, he turned to Alex. "Very well. Alex, would you mind giving Agent MacTaggert a tour of the school whilst I deal with this matter."  
"Uh, sure Professor. A couple of things have probably changed since I was last here so it may not be the most recent news." He directed the last sentence to Moira, as he began to lead her away already, trusting that if it was necessary for him to know what was going on, he would find out soon.

Once Alex and Moira were sufficiently out of earshot, Hank led the way into the study, Charles not far behind him.  
"Raven." The word escaped before Charles could stop it, the shock of seeing his sister again too great. Especially in the … more human form she had previously shown distaste for.  
Then a second figure entered his field of view. "Erik?" Of all the people who could have shown up at his school, Erik was certainly low on the list of those he would have expected. Even more so, considering how close they were to the ten-year anniversary of the … White House Incident, and the amped up security that resulted from it.  
"Hello Charles. I believe we have much to talk about."

They were older than they were the last time they'd met – Erik aged physically, his years in the steel factory not particularly easy on his body; Charles aged mentally, many years of dealing with more mutant powers and the incidents arising from that than anyone else.  
But they were still Charles and Erik, and it was almost disconcerting how easily the pair could fall into sync after being separated for so long.

"Yes I believe we do." Charles replied, his eyes not leaving either of them – unwilling to believe them here, after fearing them gone for so long.  
A small figure moved, catching Charles' attention from the corner of his eye – a girl, he realised quickly, younger than most if not all of his students, judging by her height – and she hurried over the Erik's side, hiding herself as best she could from the unfamiliar faces in the room.  
"Tatuśu?" She questioned, looking up at Erik. "Co się dzieje? Kim on jest?"  
It was Polish, Charles realised quickly, but that didn't help him understand what she was saying. He would never intrude on someone's mind without their permission, but even if he had looked into her mind, unless they thought in English, it was hard to make out much more than general feelings or the occaisional image.  
"To Charles. Ten o którym ci mówiłem." Erik's voice was softer than Charles could ever remember it being, a stark contrast to the anger of his younger days.  
"Twój przyjaciel?" The girl sounded less nervous this time, even daring to peak around her father to look at Charles.  
"Tak, to mój przyjaciel. Chcesz się przywitać?" Erik sounded almost amused now, his tone questioning at the end.  
She thought for a moment, and then obviously made up her mind.  
"Cześć." She spoke quietly, the short word directed at Charles, her hand balled in the material of Erik's shirt. She glanced up and then back at Charles, "Hello." She was louder this time, and her English was relatively unaccented which came as a surprise.

"Hello," Charles replied, holding out a hand for her to shake, "I'm Charles Xavier."  
"I know." The girl said, releasing her hold on Erik for just a moment to shake Charles' hand, before she was she reattached herself. "I'm Nina Gursky. Papa said you're his friend."

Papa.

For one of the first times in his life, Charles found himself stunned for words.  
Of all the possible connections between the two – he honestly hadn't considered the possibility that the two may be father and daughter.  
Although, looking at them for a second time, he couldn't tell how he had missed it initially – her nose, her smile, the shape of her eyes (even if not the colour) – they all screamed Erik.  
At that very moment, a bluebird flew in through the window and landed neatly on the young girl's head.

Looking up again at his old friend, and the sister he thought gone, Charles recollected himself.  
"You said something about having much to talk about?"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, and please review,**

 **Mia**

Tatuśu? _Daddy?_

Co się dzieje? Kim on jest? _What's going on? Who's he?_

To Charles. Ten o którym ci mówiłem. _This is Charles. The one I told you about._

Twój przyjaciel? _Your friend?_

Tak, to mój przyjaciel. Chcesz się przywitać? _Yes, my friend. Do you want to say hello?_

Cześć. _Hello._


	4. Chapter 4

**So I'm a day late updating - but at least it's only a day!**

 **Also - there are now over twice as many favourites on this story than on my next most popular one! And I have made some slight edits to the previous chapter (literally only the Polish bits - thank you to Rowanada on here, and Himera on AO3 for your Polish help!)**

 **Oh, and I wrote another X-Men fic - a slightly crack-y thing about Alex, with my friend, called "Day 40: I Have Eaten My Wife". You can find it on my profile, and I would really appreciate you guys reading (and maybe reviewing) it!**

 **I love you all so much, and on with the fic!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"I didn't kill those men." Erik began with.  
"No, they dropped dead of their own accord after they…" Raven cut herself off before she finished the statement, knowing that it would hardly be useful to remind Erik of his wife's death.  
"I believe you." Charles said simply, looking his old friend in the eye. At Hank and Raven's bewildered expressions, he continued. "They were not killed by any metal implement," Charles explained, "It seemed more like they were attacked by a flock of severely aggressive birds."

Erik's eyes flicked – almost involuntarily – towards Nina, still talking animatedly in Polish towards the bluebird sat on her finger, completely unaware of the conversation going on around her.  
"She couldn't control it. I'm not sure she even knows that she caused it." If there was an edge close to desperation in his voice, no one would comment on it. "I didn't know it could _manifest_ when they were so young. I wanted her to have a normal childhood." The last sentence was much quieter than the previous ones, directed at himself more than at the others.

"I was about her age. Charles wasn't that much older when his started." Raven offered when Charles remained silent, obviously contemplating something within his head.  
"While most powers do _manifest_ during the teenage years, we already have a small number of students younger than that exhibiting powers. And for better or for worse, you are one the most powerful mutants alive Erik. It stands to reason that your daughter would inherit the same level of power – even if it is expressed rather differently." The word daughter still felt strange on Charles' tongue, but it was becoming more natural as he watched the clear adoration Erik held for his daughter.

"There's one other thing," Erik offered after a moment of not _uncomfortable_ (but still not comfortable) silence. "I was approached by a mutant – by four mutants actually – on my way here. He wanted to offer me a place by his side for the war against humanity. Dealing with mutants who want to kill a large amount of the planet is still part of your job description, right."  
"May I?" Charles' asked, his fingers hovering just away from his temple.  
"If it would be easier," Erik agreed.  
It only took a matter of seconds, Charles being extremely careful to only look at the memory of the encounter within the airport. His look of thoughtful concern shifted into something sharper, as the gears worked within his own mind.  
"Hank, can you go and fetch Alex and Moira please." There was definitely a note of worry in his voice however much he tried to hide it.

"Moira?" Raven questioned, as Hank disappeared to collect the pair.  
"There was an incident yesterday, Moira had information on it. I think the incident and Erik's encounter may be related," Charles offered. He paused and then continued. "Oh, and I wiped her memory of all of us shortly after Cuba. So please, do not act as if you know her. Either of you," He glanced over at Erik, his face expressionless.

Hank then returned with Alex and Moira in tow – the former looking quite thankful that his attempt at a tour had been cut short, and the latter also looking quite thankful that his attempt at a tour had been cut short – before Erik or Raven could express any thoughts on that sudden piece of news.

"Who's the Snow White?" Alex asked, gesturing at Nina – who now held a captive audience of seven bluebirds, a bright red cardinal and three woodpeckers – as she shifted ever so slightly back towards her father as the two strangers (to her) entered the room.  
"Do not refer to my daughter as Snow White." Erik's voice was deadpan as he stood so Alex could see him.  
The elder Summers brother froze as he recognised first _Magneto_ , and then _daughter_ – but when the Professor made no effort to either oppose Erik or just straight up attack him, Alex trusted his judgement and silently acquiesced – his mind still stuck on the word 'daughter'.

Moira was less trusting of the wanted criminal sat in the Professor's study, and Charles could see with all too much clarity her hastily drawn plan to draw her gun – not that it would work. Because metal. And Magneto.  
However, he realised that having Erik and Moira at each other's throats would be detrimental to everyone's health and spoke quickly.  
"There will be no need for that Agent MacTaggert." His voice was soft but authoritative – not a tone to be trifled with.  
"Professor Xavier, this man is a fugitive…"  
"This man is a mutant," Charles interrupted, "and thus under my protection, unless he were to start another offence against anyone, in the country or any other." The latter half of the sentence was directed specifically towards Erik and accompanied with a formidable stare, and for a split second the metal manipulator knew what it would feel like to be one of Charles' students.  
"I wouldn't dream of it." Erik near purred, recovering before anyone even noticed he was unnerved, an expression across his face as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

* * *

They make their way down to the second sub-basement level; Nina along with them, as she refused to leave her father and her father refused to leave her.  
"Moira, I'm going to have to ask you to keep this a secret." Charles said as they passed into the chamber of what Erik recognised as an updated Cerebro.  
"I don't even know what _this_ is." The human woman muttered, her eyes darting around the large spherical room.  
"It's Cerebro. The new model." Raven offered.  
"I, uh, based the colour on…" Hank looked up at the blonde woman, and stopped. "Never mind." He finished, and Erik could have rolled his eyes – over twenty years later, and Hank was still unable to speak to Raven.

They were distracted from Hank's embarrassment when Charles put on the helmet that connected him to Cerebro.  
Moira flinched as the masses of white lights flew above their heads, as Nina just stared at the ceiling, open mouthed with astonishment.  
"What are those?" The CIA agent asked, gathering herself quickly.  
"Those are all the humans of the world." The white lights disappeared and were replaced by the red – of which there were fewer, but still many more than the last time Erik had been privy to Cerebro. "And these are all the mutants. I'm connected to all of their minds."  
"The CIA would kill for this," Moira stated.  
"I know they would." Charles sounded sad at this statement, before he concentrated again on Cerebro, attempting to locate the mutant that had interacted somehow with both Erik and Moira.

And then he found him – in or near North Italy, it's not like there were strict country border lines on Cerebro's map of the world.  
It was the barest of touches to the new mutant's mind – not knowing the extent of the man's powers beyond the ability to create portals. And apparently clothing based on what he could see the blue skinned man do to the boy with metal wings – creating armour out of thin air.  
Blue lines grew across the boy's face, emanating from the man's hand, as he finally noticed the intrusion in his mind.  
"Extraordinary," the man breathed.  
"What do you see?" The boy asked, trying, pretending to be a man, unafraid of the world, by his master's side.  
"The answer," came the ominous response.

"Charles, wait," Hank's voice wasn't overly worried as Cerebro's instruments stared to react, but there was a note of caution, as the Professor stilled – his mind filled with images of destruction that were not his own.  
"Oh my god."

And then the red of the mutants shifted to a purple hue that no one in the room had seen before, Charles' eyes turning black.  
"Charles, Charles, get out." There was no longer a 'tone of caution' in Hank's voice, the worry shining through as he had never witnessed the Professor like this.  
"I've never felt power like this before," Charles replied, as if he couldn't even hear Hank.  
Erik tried to step forward, towards his old friend – but there was only so much room on the circular platform, and there were too many people already crowding the wheelchair bound man.  
Nina pressed closer to her father, not _scared_ per say, but definitely reacting to the sudden rise of nervous energy in the room.

"What's happening?" Moira asked, the question they were all thinking – just happening to be first.  
"Someone's taken over Cerebro. They've taken control of it," Hank didn't even look backwards as he tried to undo whatever the unknown mutant was doing via Charles.  
"To do what?" It was Raven this time.  
"To connect." Was his reply, as if the words meant something greater.  
Unable to disconnect Charles through the usual ways, Hank tried to physically remove the helmet from Charles' head – but all that achieved was a bolt of electricity to his hands, and Charles beginning to scream.  
"Hank, do something!" Raven sounded as close to desperation as she had been in years, and Erik could feel Nina's breath hitch against him, a precursor to hysterical tears.

Violence-free methods obviously proving ineffective, Hank tried to instead destroy the control panel – but whilst that removed the blackness from Charles' eyes, whilst it appeared to break the grip on their friend, the room still remained purple – the unknown mutant still connected to unknown people in the wider world, through Cerebro.  
"Alex, destroy it. Destroy everything. Destroy Cerebro." He took a breath, and his eyes hardened, ever so slightly. "Wreak havoc." He ordered, and Alex didn't even question it – letting out a burst of red energy from his chest – barely controlling where it was hitting, beyond 'no living people'.

Charles screamed louder still, and Alex – no, _Havok_ – burst two more beams of red from his hands; the room beginning to collapse, tiles falling from the ceiling – including one that was heading for the shock-frozen six-year-old who had no idea what was going on.

And in the split second that it took to prevent his daughter from being hit by a falling sheet of metal, he forgot to protect himself – a segment of pipe about the size of a fist hitting him from above and knocking the metal wielder to the ground.

Then – as fast as it had begun, it was over – the purple returned to the once grey of the walls, now marred with the remains of Alex's blasts.

Moira escaped the room first, half carrying Nina into the relative safety of the corridor, as Alex and Raven follow – pushing a now-unconcious Charles in his wheelchair, Hank just behind them with Erik slung over his shoulder – still stronger than he looks.  
Dropping Erik rather unceremoniously once they are safe from the immediate danger, Hank turns to Charles – as Nina grips her father's shirt on the ground, too shaken to move or to cry or to react in any way, other than not let go of her father.  
"Charles, Charles, are you okay?" Hank tries to ask, as the doors to Cerebro shut behind them.  
A strange noise draws their attention coming from the other end of the corridor, as Alex, Raven and Moira get into defensive positions without even realising it.  
A purple ball of light appears, then disappears, leaving five figures in its place – four of them recognisable from Erik's airport encounter, the fifth presumably another mutant dressed in the same metallic armour as their 'friends'.  
No words are spoken as a small … hurricane formed out of nowhere – forcing the slumped over Charles away from his friends, and towards the newcomers.  
"Charles!" Raven screamed, a second too late to help him – not that it stopped Alex, already trying to race to these people, these mutants who are trying to take Charles away.  
"Alex," Hank warned, knowing all too well the intensity of Alex's blasts, and what was on the other side of the relatively thin doors.  
"Hey asshole," Alex yelled to the blue skinned man as the boy with wings covered Charles.  
"All will be revealed, my child." He was calm, too calm, as the purple ball began to encompass the group of now six.  
"Stop! No!" Hank tried to stop Alex, but it was too late as he let off a blast just too late to hit the disappearing group – and instead disintegrated the doors to the hanger, leaving a perfect shot to explode the jet just sitting on the other side.

In a millisecond, Hank could see the flames coming towards him, flinching backwards with no way to escape and less than seconds before they would be engulfed.

Until they weren't.

In a fraction of a second, he was no longer in the sub-basement – but was instead on the lawn outside, alongside every other person (and animal) who was in the mansion.  
Not that there was a mansion anymore.  
A pile of bricks and rubble lay there instead, the explosion having devastated everything.

A second later he noticed a familiar figure clad in silver, and figured out what must have happened – Peter saving every single person in the building, preventing over forty deaths in less than a minute.  
"Where… Where did you?" Still not quite able to make complete sentences, Peter understood what Hank was trying to say anyway.  
"I was looking for the Professor. I thought he lived here." Not even out of breath, Peter just sounded confused.  
"They took him." There was a look of darkness on the usually pleasant man, one shared with Moira, that Peter didn't quite understand.

"Papa!" Nina cried from just next to Hank, suddenly able to make noise again, and drawing the attention from a number of students who didn't recognise _her_ , but certainly recognised the man she was trying (unsuccessfully) to rouse.  
Hank dropped to Erik's side – he may not be a medical doctor, strictly speaking, and he may not like Erik. At all. But it wasn't the small girl's fault, so he took the seconds that were required to make sure that Erik was still breathing, and that he (probably) wouldn't stop breathing in the near future.  
And if Peter was avoiding looking at the metal manipulator, well it's not like anyone could blame him after everything that had been seen on the news recently.

The rest of the student population was understandably distracted by the blue figure in the middle of the field – Mystique in her natural form, the face of the mutant population, and not someone she wanted to be.  
Whispers flew around, as she shifted back into the blonde haired body she favoured.

But there was no time to dwell on it as a familiar yellow car pulled up, carrying four teenagers who shouldn't have been using the car in the first place.  
"What happened?" Scott asked, his head scanning the crowd for any traces of his brother. "Where's Alex? Where's my brother?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice as he hoped for a miracle.  
"Pretty sure I got everybody," Peter shrugged, knowing he hadn't seen anyone else within the building, knowing he hadn't seen anyone he had left behind.  
"Alex was closest to the blast," Hank realised – closest to the blast, and already vaporised before Peter had a chance to save him.  
Scott ran away, followed quickly by Jean and the new blue student – Kurt, Hank thinks his name is – as if Alex would crawl out of the wreckage of the house, as if Scott would be able to save him if he looked hard enough.

And that was when the helicopter came into range, the loudspeaker informing all those gathered to ' _Please remain calm. Medical assistance is on the way_ ' over and over again.  
As the helicopter landed, both Hank and Moira made their way over to talk to the personnel leaving the craft, not even thinking of how they could have arrived so quickly.  
It was Raven who realised what was going on first, but still too late, as she recognised Stryker. "Wait!" She screamed, but it was too late as the order was given to fire the concussive blast at the gathered group.  
As one, everyone gathered on the lawn fell unconscious beside Erik.

Everyone besides Scott, Jean and Kurt that is, who watched from behind what remained of a brick wall.

Stryker stepped over the bodies of the unconscious children, uncaring of most of the residents on the lawn.  
"I want her," Stryker pointed at Moira, "him", Hank, "him," Peter, "her," Raven. He paused for a moment, as he saw who was lying off the edge of the group.  
"And them," he ordered pointing at Erik and Nina.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and please review,**

 **Mia**


End file.
